Kiwifruit may look unpalatable at first glance, but under that hairy brown exterior lies emerald green flesh with a flavor reminiscent of strawberries to some and pineapple to others. As tempting as it is in desserts, this sweet, yet slightly tart fruit also works well in savory dishes.
New Zealanders do not take kindly to the fruit being referred to as a kiwi, preferring kiwifruit. The kiwi is a small flightless bird native to New Zealand, a term New Zealanders often use in reference to themselves. The moniker of "kiwifruit" is a fairly recent development, believe it or not. New Zealand growers adopted the name kiwifruit for the Chinese gooseberry in the mid 1960's, believing it to be more palatable than a reference to the hairy bird which its hairy exterior resembles. There are also some references to the name change being in response to anti-communist sentiments implied by Chinese gooseberry. In France, kiwifruit translates to souris vegetales, meaning vegetable mouse. It's an apt description, albeit not very appetizing.
Kiwi Berries are packaged in a 6-1/2 ounce clamshell and should be allowed to ripen at room temperature. Their skin will begin to turn darker green, and the berries will yield to gentle pressure. Refrigerate softened fruit for best storage life and let it return to room temperature when using in recipes for the best flavor.
Some of the following recipes call for KiwiBerrie puree, so here are several ways that we have made it. For small batches we process ripe fruit with a squeezo, a small hand crank unit, which can be found in most hardware stores. The fruit is put into the hopper and then goes through an auger that is covered with a screen which removes the skins and most seeds. The puree, the nutritious essence of these unique berries, exits down a side tray. Another way to make puree is to remove the skins and use a food processor or a blender. If you prefer a bitter/sweet flavor - leave the skins on. The last way in which we've made puree for recipes is to simply smash the ripe fruit with a fork.
You can use the puree fresh or we store it in Hefty freezer bags or plastic ice cream containers for future use. Note: Puree must be frozen to store it due to it's active enzyme actinidin.
All you need to know about Kiwi
